If so, why? Or why not? (As if I had a choice.) I’m using XP and like it. I had Vista for one day and took the computer back to the store. I’m going to need a new laptop in the next few months, so…
.
Does Windows 7 have any seriously annoying quirks or any particularly endearing features?
.
I do graphic design work (large files)and writing. No gaming, no social networking, no IM, don’t watch movies.
Pretty straightforward stuff.
The problem with Windows (IMO) is the insane amount of garbageware that the computer manufacturers load on their systems combined with too little system memory. I’ve been really happy with Windows 7 since I started using it (bought it when it was released.)
but then again, I had no problems with Vista since I installed a clean retail copy from scratch.
the only “annoying quirks” I think you’ll run into is the re-arrangement of things, esp. in the control panel. But the new taskbar is nice; now the quick launch and running program buttons aren’t separate which makes more sense to me.
You might like it.
I have used XP for years and years at work and at home, so switching to any other OS would have been a bit traumatic. I switches to Windows 7 at home this past summer, when I got a new laptop. It took some getting used to, and I am still a little frustrated by some things they have moved, but I am getting used to it. We’ll probably deploy Windows 7 at work this coming summer, which will help with the frustrations of switching back & forth for me.
I agree. Do a clean install of Windows if you can, so all you’re getting is the OS. You don’t need even 1% of the stuff retailers put on there.
I got a new Win 7 laptop from Lenovo (on my sysop’s recommendation) and I wish I could have XP back. I had a Vista machine for a few weeks but, while I never returned it, I did downgrade it to XP.
Now, will you like it? Hard to say. One thing. I had a program (4nt, now called tcc) that couldn’t write files. Security gone mad. Eventually, I worked out that if you right click on the icon, choose properties and choose compatibility (not security) tab and check “run as administrator”, the problems go away.
They seemed to have abandoned aero. Good riddance. There is no longer a quick launch area, but you can “pin” a program to the task bar. I had a problem related to Lenovo. About 80% of the tool bar was devoted to something called Lenovo tools and nothing else could go there. The tool bar proper had room for only two programs and you had to click an arrow to reveal two more. And it was nearly impossible to find an area on the tool bar that could be clicked to unfreeze. Finally, I did and was able to take over most of the space. I then refroze it. The next time it booted it was back to square one. Eventually I discovered how to get rid of the Lenovo tools entirely (I don’t remember what I did) but I have not booted since.
I’m of two minds about the thumbnails. If you run the cursor over the toolbar, you get a thumbnail of each window as you pass over its icon. If two copies of a program are running, you get two thumbnails and can click on one or the other.
Aside from those two things, I seem to have recreated my modus operandi without further problems. It seems nearly as good as NT.
Oh, one other thing. I downloaded and installed Firefox. When I did it came with a tool line that had a Yahoo search (and a couple other things). The other things I was able to get rid of but the useless Yahoo window was still there eating up valuable real estate. Try as I liked, I could not get rid of. After a day or two, I got a message from Mozilla saying they had detected a dangerous tool on my toolbar: Yahoo. Supposedly it left a security hole. Should they get rid of it? I couldn’t choose that option fast enough and, sure enough, it is gone.
Anyway, what choice do you have? Unless you are a Mac person, which I am assuredly not. I did try Linux for a couple years on the desktop in my office. But I just could not adapt to it. I didn’t understand how to maneuver through the directories, the find facility took forever (which reminds me, the find in Vista simply didn’t work, or I couldn’t make it work, but the one in Win 7 is fast and easy to use–definite improvement) and mainly, the editor I have been using for 26 years now was DOS and now Windows only. Another reason to avoid Mac.
they did no such thing.
I jumped from XP to Windows 7, and there isn’t too big a change. I make sure to turn of access control as it is interfering with some of the programming tools which I was installing.
I honestly don’t have anything to complain about the OS, but it doesn’t set me gushing.
Hari, the problem with Yahoo toolbar just appearing by itself might be a AVG thing. I got the offending toolbar from AVG, and got rid of it via the plugins menu in Firefox. It could also been from some other software which you installed.
I just started using my new Win 7 machine last week, after using XP since it was “born”.
I like it well enough. Definitely don’t hate it. The only things I had to get used to were the new task bar and the new way Windows Explorer works.
I also can’t stand that the “Show Desktop” icon is stuck on the right of the screen. Yes, I could add a desktop shortcut to my quick launch or something, but Do Not Want.
I’m not very good at change when it comes to computers…as evidenced by my use of the Eudora mail client. But I did ok.
I had no need to get Win 7, by the way. I would have stuck with XP until there was a real problem. But, I needed a new machine and this OS came with it, so here I am.
I never tried Vista. I have used XP for years and about a month ago got a new machine with 7 on it. I like it a lot. I found it to be very intuative and the learning curve to be a quick one.
7 has one nice feature if you need to frequently navigate thru many layers of folders on multiple drives (with 12TB on my main system in 7 drives, I do). Instead of the up & down navigation you may be used to, 7 allows a sideways nav thru dropdown menus. Indeed, the UP button is no longer available. It takes some getting used to and is counter-intuitive in places, but a tiny step forward if you are this kind of power user.
Otherwise, I find myself trying to turn off or ignore many new “features,” protections and warnings that are just maddening and useless. XP is much cleaner in this regard.
7 is a massive improvement on Vista, which is a massive step back from XP. IMO, 7 is give or take equal to XP.
I went to 7 recently and see no advantage in it at all. Nothing works better than it did before. It took a lot of effort to stop the absolutely insane security popups and locks.
I mean, it’s no WORSE than XP. (I never used Vista.) It’s nice, I guess. I wish I hadn’t spent the money on it thugh.
Win 7 is NT, as have been all Windows incarnations since Windows 2000.
I also like how sensibly you can control what goes on in the notification area. Love the new taskbar.
I went from Vista to 7 and MUCH prefer 7. I’ve never used XP (except at work) and can’t really compare.
Vista sucks.
I moved to Windows 7 this past summer after years of using XP, and I love it. Took a little getting used to at first, but I wouldn’t go back. You can have Quick Launch in Win 7. I subscribe to the Windows Secrets newsletter, that helps. And Supersite is useful, too.
My mum got a new laptop with Windows 7 on it for Christmas, and she has yet to call me for tech support, so it gets a thumbs up from me 
Thanks for the comments. I guess I’ll bite the bullet and do it.
This is very Macintosh-y.
The “UP” arrow is gone??? I LOVE the up arrow… 
Rats.
There’s a guy on the Internet selling an uparrow for $5. Seriously. (A software program)
I’ve gotten used to a slightly different way of going UP in the dir tree structure, and usually the BACK button performs the same function (if you came from there). Still, I wish they had retained the UP button as an option. It would have hurt nuthin’.
What’s AVG? Anyway, I think it was likely built-in to Windows or else Lenovo put it there. When I think of the programs I downloaded, I cannot imagine any that would have done that.